Wooden structures, such as decks or fences, typically comprise two or more wooden joists spanned by a plurality of parallel boards. These boards are nailed to the joists and are typically constructed by driving nails down through the exposed face surface of the boards into the joists. This method is undesirable for several reasons. With hammering, it is easy to miss and hit the board, thus denting or marring it. Box head nails may hold well, but can remain visible and detract from the aesthetic appearance of the deck, fence or other wooden structure. In addition, the nail head will often discolor the area around it and the wooden board. While finish nails may not be as displeasing in appearance as box head nails, they typically take longer to install and retain water in the hole, which often leads to rot and rust. Also, nails can work upwards and out such that the nail head may be located above the board surface thereby causing a safety hazard. In addition, water typically gets into the crack between the board and joist and often causes rot.
One alternative, which produces a more aesthetic surface appearance, is to drill countersink a screw and to plug the remaining hole above the screw with a small piece of wood. However, this method is expensive and time consuming. In addition, the plugs typically work there way out in time, and the remaining holes fill with water.
Another alternative is to provide a bracket between a pair of deck boards whereby the bracket is secured to the top of a joist while also being affixed to the sides of the deck boards. This method, however, involves more labor than the previous methods, requires a great number of brackets and fasteners, and further requires specialized tools to assist in the bracket installation. Moreover, the brackets remain visible after completion because the brackets span the space between the deck boards.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an attachment device that is easy to install, efficient, whereby fewer fasteners are required, and is hidden once deck construction is complete.